Advice for the Project Management Professional (PMP)

Licensed to:
● Brian, one of your best friends since sixth grade, played lead guitar in your
band. He is a natural musician and has little trouble learning to play very complicated
songs. Brian is very quiet, but he would love to work for a successful
small business and be able to share his passion for guitar with children. He
is also a whiz at music technology, having recorded and edited CDs for several
years. He works as a software developer for a large consulting firm. He is
married and has one young child, and his spouse works part-time. Brian
would not give up his full-time job until he knew he could support his family
in this new business venture, but he could do a lot of part-time work.
● Nicole, also one of your best friends since sixth grade, was the lead singer in
your band. She has a great voice and really knows how to work a crowd, too.
She is currently working as a part-time telemarketer, but she doesn’t like her
job at all and is ready for something new. Her spouse has a great job and supports
her in pursuing a new business oportunity. Her strengths are her vocal
talent, professional voice training, and sales ability. She also loves working with
children and would be willing to work full-time on this new business venture.
● Andres was the last person to join your band in high school, having replaced
your original drummer. He currently works as a music teacher at a local middle
school. He has a lot of contacts with local schools and is dying to get this new
music academy started. He is single and would want to keep his current job,
but he could devote a fair amount of time to the business in the evenings, on
weekends, and full-time in the summer. His strengths are his drumming
expertise, teaching ability, music technology experience, and contacts with
school-age children, parents, and school administrators. He currently gives
some private lessons and knows other people who do as well, so he has potential
clients and instructors that he could bring into the business.
The main goals of the New Business Venture Project are to prepare a business plan, get
financial backing, handle legal issues, develop marketing materials, find a rental space for
the music academy, purchase/develop curriculum, hire staff, and open for business by
one year from now, September 1, to coincide with the school year. Your team has already
analyzed the market, and you know you can make this business succeed. Your goal would
be to cover your investment costs after two years in business.
Tasks
1. To become more familiar with the children’s music instruction market, do some
preliminary research to find out how big this market is, who the main companies
are in the market, what the best-selling services are, pricing and marketing
strategies, etc. If you do not want to focus on your own geographic area,
pick one to focus on for this and future tasks. Write a two- to three-page paper
(double-spaced) with your findings, citing at least two references. For
example, the author’s son took lessons and performed in rock bands from Virtuosos
Music Academy in Plymouth, Minnesota (www.virtuososonline.com).
You can also include a paragraph or two with your team’s personal experience
in this area, if applicable.
Copyright 2009 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
425
Resources